


One December Morning at the Cafe Royale

by water_bby



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Community: kakairu_fest, KakaIru Fest Summer 2013, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/949750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/water_bby/pseuds/water_bby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Sakura's first Sunday morning shift at Cafe Royale. Who knew she'd be a little less a kid when she clocked out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	One December Morning at the Cafe Royale

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Team AU for the Summer 2013 [](http://kakairu-fest.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://kakairu-fest.livejournal.com/)**kakairu_fest**

Sakura had barely started her first Sunday shift at Cafe Royale when Dr. Hatake arrived in a burst of cold air. He sat at one of the big tables, draping his jacket and bike helmet over one chair and dropping a couple panniers into another before coming to the counter with a black and green striped mug he pulled from a pannier pocket. She poured his coffee ("Just a plain filter coffee for now, thanks, Sakura") and started a tab when he asked. It wasn't the first time a former teacher had ordered coffee from her, but it was the first she'd served her honors world history professor. She felt...honored, somehow.

He smiled at her distractedly, took a long sniff of his drink, and then wandered back to his table, where he pulled a large stack of exam booklets from a compartment and laid out two fountain pens before starting to read. Sakura smiled to herself; she knew that those pens were currently filled with green ink--he had told her class before their first test that he preferred to grade in green rather than red.

He was soon bent over the exams, occasionally making a small mark or writing a paragraph. Sakura turned her attention to the other customers who arrived, serving drinks, waving good-bye to the ones who ordered to go, and loading the newly delivered pastries into the display case. She'd been working for the coffee shop since the semester began, mostly on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, but the list of tasks and chores was a bit different for this morning. Among other items on the list she'd been given was a note that someone would be putting up new art on the display wall across from the counter. She didn't have any idea when that person would arrive, however, so she didn't worry about it; after all she was done with the semester, and she would be heading home for Christmas next week, and it was a wonderfully slow morning.

An hour later, Dr. Hatake put down his pen, grabbed his mug, pulled another (this one a dark green covered with delicate leaves in pale green, orange, and gold) from his pannier, and came back up to the counter. "Refill on mine, and a cinnamon chai tea for this one. Oh, and I'll take one of the cranberry scones."

Slightly puzzled, Sakura filled the mugs and added the drinks and scone to his tab. As Dr. Hatake returned to his table, the door opened and another man entered, carrying a large artist's portfolio. Sakura smiled at the newcomer. Iruka, one of her favorite Tuesday afternoon customers, smiled back at her and then walked over to Dr. Hatake's table. Dr. Hatake put the mugs down, broke off a piece of the scone, quickly kissed Iruka on lips, and popped the bite into Iruka's mouth.

"You're late," he said. "Do you need me to get anything else out of the car?"

Iruka laughed. "No, I've got it. How're the finals going?"

"I may abandon them for a seminar paper."

"Poor baby," Iruka laughed and helped himself to another bit of scone before sitting down at the table and taking a drink of the tea. "I'll need to grab the hanging wire and the tools in a moment, but I've got most of the art in the portfolio."

Sakura blinked. She knew that Iruka painted, but she hadn't known he was going to be displaying art at Cafe Royale. "Do you need any help?"

"No, thanks, Sakura, if I can't handle by myself, Kakashi will help." He turned his head to grin at her and said over his shoulder, "Especially if he needs an excuse to avoid grading for a few minutes."

Dr. Hatake very pointedly took a bite of the scone, a drink of his coffee, and then opened another exam booklet. Iruka's grin softened a bit, and then he turned back in his chair to drink more of his tea.

A few sips later, Iruka pushed back from the table, placed his portfolio on one of the empty tables in the middle of the room, and started to remove canvases. Sakura caught glimpses of them as she went about checking inventory and otherwise making sure everything was in order. One looked like it showed a stack of gifts, while another seemed to be a wintery landscape.

"Are they all themed? Christmas, winter, and such?" she asked, startling herself with the sound of her voice over the quiet holiday music from the speakers.

"Yeah," Dr. Hatake answered, "and Valentine's Day. He always goes for seasonal themes when he does this kind of installation."

"Not always," Iruka retorted, "I did water features for an autumn show, once. I'm going to get the rest of the stuff from the car. Do you want me to go ahead and put your bike on the rack?"

"Sure," Dr. Hatake said before turning back to the exam booklet in front of him.

Iruka pulled on his jacket, drained his mug, grabbed the helmet from where it hung on the back of a chair, and handed the mug to Sakura as he passed the counter. "Another cinnamon chai, please."

By the time she'd finished tying the tea bag and refilling his cup, he was back with a small toolbox and another large portfolio. And then he started hanging his paintings, checking placement against a page in a notebook, every once in a while using a tape measure to adjust the distance between canvases, or something--Sakura was majoring in history, not art, and she had other customers to take care of so she was more aware that something was happening than of all the particulars.

Shortly before 11 a.m., the last customer besides Iruka and Dr. Hatake left. When Dr. Hatake brought his mug to the counter, switched his order to latte and then disappeared around the corner to the bathroom, Iruka opened the second portfolio, pulled out a large canvas and swiftly hung it in the center of the display wall. He had just stepped back when Dr. Hatake re-entered the main room.

"Oh. Oh, Iruka!"

Sakura looked from him, to Iruka (who wore a warm, soft smile), to the painting. Oh, indeed. It was easily twice the size of the next largest piece on exhibit. Two hands, one pale and one quite tanned, mirrored each other. Around the smallest finger of each hand was tied one end of a red ribbon, which was then looped around various fingers in what Sakura recognized as a cat's cradle.

"You keep going on about love at first sight and such, Kakashi, so...Happy early Valentine's Day." Iruka's smile became a bit uncertain. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. And you!" Dr. Hatake wrapped his arms around Iruka and continued to stare at the painting. "What's it called?"

Iruka laughed and kissed him. "Soul Bond."

Sakura suddenly thought she should re-count the raw sugar bags in the stockroom. She might have been off one or two. Who knew?


End file.
